Mother Tiger and Her Cubs
by Legendary Biologist
Summary: [GGAM - GoaL] "How can mother tiger carry her cubs without hurting them? Her teeth are really scary, right?" Similarly, why couldn't Brandon's arm, which had wrecked many bones and safes, crush Mika's ribs when he carried her?


**MOTHER TIGER AND HER CUBS**

 **A/N: Part of** ** _Guardian of a Lifetime_** **series, the fourth sub-series of** _ **Gungrave: Aftermath**_ **. Written for Caesar's Palace Challenge: Summer Olympics - Wrestling Freestyle:**

 _ **"Write anything you want!"**_

 **All disclaimers apply.**

* * *

The hands of the wall clock pointed at seven. Brandon hadn't returned to the trailer, nor had he called with any news.

 _What was taking him so long?_ Mika thought, putting on her sandals. As far as she knew, Millennion's loan shark department was only opened until four. Even if something went wrong with that blasted crossroad, the traffic jam wouldn't last for more than an hour.

Hopping off the trailer's ledge, she slammed the door shut. Her heart pounded quickly as she searched the parking basement for a Millennion guardsman. Daniel must know something; hopefully, nothing bad had happened to Brandon.

Without many cars around, it only took a minute to reach the elevator area. Daniel sat on the bench there, watching a soccer game on the hanging TV above. However, he immediately pointed the remote controller at it and pushed a button. Now, Mika saw a tiger and its cubs resting in a cave instead of people running around a field.

Putting the remote controller down on the bench, Daniel smiled at her. "Mr. Brandon told me to switch to this channel whenever you came."

"Where is he?"

"Heard that the loan shark department had one too many clients today."

Mika breathed a sigh of relief. At least, she now knew that Brandon was safe and sound.

"Why worry so much about him, Miss? He's a necrolyzer. A big and strong one."

She only replied with a forced smile. Daniel never intended any offense with the reassurance, but strangely, her mind always registered it as an insult. Sometimes, if she failed to contain her annoyance, she would end up ranting about Brandon's near-death condition last year and how much she appreciated the second chance he'd received.

Daniel patted the space beside him. "Sit here. Watch the TV as you wait for him."

She complied.

Minutes flew by with her looking at nothing but the TV. The tale about tigers left her mouth open in fascination. How could a mother tiger do this amazing thing? In one scene, she had just torn a deer to shreds with her mighty teeth. But when she needed to transport her cubs to safety, she picked them up by the scruffs of their little necks with those scary teeth. Why didn't they leave even a single cut on the little cubs?

 _Is it a mother's love?_

As the screen went black and the credits began to roll, Mika asked Daniel, "Mister, I've got a question about those tigers."

"Ask away. But keep in mind that I'm no expert in this."

"How can mother tiger carry her cubs without hurting them? Her teeth are really scary, right?"

Daniel scratched his head. "I don't really know. But I guess it's-"

Suddenly, something loomed over them. Mika glanced over her shoulder to see an envelope in a huge hand. Looking up, she found a golden eye gazing back at her. That large patch of pale skin on the left side of the face belonged to nobody other than the person she'd been waiting for.

"Brandon!" She got up. "You're finally back."

Daniel also stood up. Looking at the envelope, he asked, "Well, the loan shark department gave you a bonus?"

Brandon nodded, handing the envelope to Mika. "For my safecracking service."

"What? How did you guys end up with a safe?"

"A stubborn client wasn't at home, so Timothy's team simply grabbed the safe in the house and left."

"Let me guess. Everybody spent a lot of time fiddling with the safe until you stepped in."

Brandon nodded again. "I wrecked the door with a punch."

"I knew it." Daniel laughed, giving Brandon a friendly smack on the back. "Your strength is just that terrifying. I hope you never break things by accident."

"Um, let's go home?" Mika asked Brandon. "I want to discuss something with you. About mother tiger and her cubs."

"Sure."

After bidding farewell to Daniel, they began their journey home. Once they stood in front of the trailer, Mika grabbed the door lever and pulled it open.

As she stepped into the trailer, though, her foot struck the bottom of the ledge. The metallic floor drew closer to her face, but a big, brawny arm suddenly wrapped itself around her chest. The firm, yet gentle grip saved her from the fall.

 _Hey, isn't this the arm that has just broken a safe? It's wrapped around me, but I can still breathe easily._

With her legs hanging freely in the air, she looked back. Brandon smiled at her, stepping into the trailer with her petite body still in his grasp. Funny how she now felt like the cub in the TV.

"Didn't you wreck many things with this arm? But why didn't it break my ribs?" She only received silence as a reply, which challenged her to think harder. "Is it...uh, a daddy's love?"

Brandon nodded. "Now, do we still need to discuss mother tiger and her cubs again?"

"Huh? How did you know my question?" And again, Brandon challenged her with his silence. "Okay, I know. It's a daddy's instinct."

And once again, Brandon nodded, with a proud smile on his scarred face.


End file.
